1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a search apparatus, a search method, and a search system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A technique is already known in which objects and pieces of link information that provides a link for each object are stored in a server or the like in association with each other, and an object corresponding to an object included in an image of a paper medium such as a magazine or a document captured by a user is searched for in the server (see Publication of Japanese Translation of PCT Application No. 2009-506393). A technique that presents link information associated with an object searched for to a user is also already known.
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of digital information distribution systems, such as digital signage and digital television broadcasting, which distribute information using digital data. In such a digital information distribution system, a mechanism is prepared in which information provision is not limited to one-way from an information distribution source to a user, and the user is allowed to return an action in response to the information provision from the information distribution source. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2011-239315 discloses a technique in which interactive information exchange is allowed between the broadcasting station side and the broadcasting receiving terminal side in digital broadcasting.
There is another technique of superimposing the location of related information or the like on displayed information on a display screen. The location of the related information is displayed on the display screen as a message such as a uniform resource locator (URL) or a telephone number.
However, in the conventional digital broadcasting, even when a user is allowed to return an action through a broadcasting receiving terminal to a broadcasting station, an information path is closed between the broadcasting station and the broadcasting receiving terminal, being insufficient as a means for guiding the user directly to information related to the displayed information. In a method using messages, a user is required to remember a displayed message by, for example, taking a note of it and input it to a computer or the like, which may cause an input mistake.
It is required not to limit the provision of link information based on a captured image to a still image medium such as a paper medium and to extend a subject to be captured to various media including a broadcast medium (display screen) that is distributed and displayed by the digital information distribution system and other moving image media.
Therefore, there is a need to provide link information based on a captured image flexibly.